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It was nearly 30 years ago that Ed Rasmuson recruited me to be his partner in the creation of what is now the largest philanthropy in Alaska. "It's yours if you want it," is how he put his offer that I become the only employee of his small family foundation - a foundation that now is approaching a billion-dollar responsibility to use his father's fortune - and much of his own - to repay his beloved Alaska for the opportunities it offered his family. I believe that we - and our dedicated,...
November 8th is our State Election; don’t forget to Vote! To the Editor: Mark and I are supporting Rebecca Himshoot for State House representing our district. She is a strong supporter of education, teachers and stabilizing school funding. She will work for accessible housing, invest in infrastructure, work to improve our Alaska Marine Highway, and will safeguard our Permanent Fund for future generations. Rebecca will stand up for women’s reproductive rights in our State. She is committed to fishing issues and creating more jobs that will hel...
Thank you — to the Petersburg Police and PVFD first responders who ensured no one was hurt and the scene was safe enough for work to commence, Petersburg Municipal Power and Light who restored power faster than expected which made it possible for so many kids to be out trick or treating on Halloween, Public Works who with Power and Light and Alaska Department of Transportation worked through the night alongside the teams from Rock-n-Road and Reid Brothers to clear the landslide from the highway by Tuesday morning, the emergency line crew f...
Alaska’s midterm general election is underway. Early and absentee voting has begun, and election day is less than two weeks away. There are many important decisions on the ballot, and perhaps most important of all is the ballot measure question: Shall there be a constitutional convention? This question was asked last month of Petersburg’s candidates for assembly, and it was the one and only topic that everyone agreed on. Regardless of political leaning the resounding answer was “No.” Donna M... Full story
HIP to be Kind To the Editor: Humanity in Progress would like to give a huge thank you not only to all of the amazing humans who joined us Saturday night for our Empty Bowls fundraiser and were so incredibly generous but also to all the wonderful volunteers and donors who helped us to make the event possible. We were able to reach our fundraising goal and our hearts are overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness of the community. These funds will go directly to those experiencing food and housing insecurity in the community and will be...
Dear Petersburg To the Editor: Early Childhood Education needs the community to engage in developing pragmatic solutions: usable space, workforce development, and summer programming to name a few. Please be present at a screening of “Voices for a Better Future” at the Wright Auditorium and join in the discussion with panelists, Saturday, October 1st, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. “Voices for a Better Future” provides a Petersburg-centric view of early childhood education and the challenges facing the children, the families, the businesses, and the commu...
Workers, families and retirees are not the only Alaskans squeezed by inflation, rising interest rates and tumbling investments. The state is in the same tight spot. And it could get worse. The price for Alaska North Slope crude oil was down to $86.57 a barrel as of last Friday, dropping a third from almost $128 in early June. U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate was even lower, at $78.74. The stock market, where the Alaska Permanent Fund invests much of its money, as of Friday was down 20% from the start of the year. Bond and real estate...
Good on Hankins To the Editor: I had the good fortune to attend a class given by Aaron Hankins. He inspires confidence. He was an excellent instructor; knowledgeable, intelligent and personable. I can see him confidently organizing a unit of first responders who could effectively execute a search, a rescue, or a medical evacuation. Good on him and it will be good on the Borough Assembly to approve his appointment. George Cole Meucci for Mayor To the Editor: Over the years I’ve written several times to the borough assembly on municipal i...
Mary Peltola has made history as the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress and as the winner of Alaska’s first ranked choice election. She is stepping into a giant’s shoes and is doing so with grace. Peltola has expressed her determination to carry on the work of the late Don Young as she finishes out his term. During her swearing in on Tuesday she expressed her commitment to “securing [Young’s] legacy of bipartisanship.” There is reason to believe that her talk of bipartisanship is not just talk. For eight of Peltola’s ten years in th...
Unapologetically Grounded on Conservative Principles To the Editor: I am running for borough assembly because the course of the current governing body is lacking in integrity and transparency. Government of the people, by the people, and for the people seems to have been relegated to the garbage dump in recent history, and has become one that seeks greater control, expanded government overreach, and discourages personal responsibility. We are not sheeple, and we’ve had enough. I stand on a foundation of integrity and honesty and am u...
Goodbyes are hard. I suppose that is evidenced by my need to write one more time after already signing off for the season. One thing COVID taught us all is that despite the best laid plans, life is uncertain. And the only constant is change. Yes we plan to be back next Spring. Last year we planned to see my brother-in-law again, but he was a healthy kayaker one day and three days later he was gone without goodbyes. That was COVID. So now although we plan to see the island again and check on all the good work we did this year to see how it...
Thank you! To the Editor: Petersburg, you have an awesome group of people at your medical center. My husband and I came to town and we became very sick. Erica, your pharmacist, was great at helping us find our way to the medical center. Taxi driver Thomas was also extremely helpful. Dr. Bert and nurses Ruby and Mamie were awesome. A young man (didn’t get his name) did our labs. We wish we could have seen more of this beautiful place, but we got to meet just a few of the wonderful people of Petersburg. Sincerely, Leslie Doran Body Camera Vote T...
It takes teamwork To the Editor: Your Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department would like to thank those businesses that allow our members to leave work to respond to calls for help from their customers, neighbors, and friends. Stay Safe. Thank you. Jim Stolpe, Fire Chief Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department Available for your questions, ideas, and concerns To the Editor and to the Community: What a summer! I hope you have been able to enjoy our beautiful home no matter what the weather had to say about it. As we shift into fall, it’s also c...
The world around us is changing fast now, with each day shorter than the last. We arrived at Five Finger Lighthouse in Spring to fiery skies splashed with deep glowing reds and oranges. We moved into the long light-filled days of summer — so much light made us giddy and we forgot to sleep at all until we fell asleep standing. As the summer wanes, the dusk and dawn horizons have softened to gentle shades of rose and gold and the mountains glow pink again. The mists have arrived, sometimes wrapping us in an opaque veil. Other times the mist strea...
One of my favorite unofficial holidays is right around the corner: Petersburg Municipal Election Day. I tell you, it’s downright festive. Colorful decorations are poked into lawns with care. The town is abuzz with anticipation leading up to the big night. It’s exciting! And my heartfelt appreciation goes out to all the candidates for local elected office: every last one of them a neighbor to us all, volunteering their time, ideas and experience, sacrificing at times their privacy and peace of... Full story
Why I’m running for mayor To the Editor: Greetings, I am running for the office of mayor in the October 4th election and I would appreciate your vote. I think Petersburg is a great place to live, raise a family and enjoy a pretty special way of living. We have a great school system, a critical care hospital with a great staff in need of a new building, dedicated borough employees, and a community filled with independent people caring for one another in difficult times. We are very fortunate. The borough faces a few challenges that include c...
"Yes! Finally, I will get to read the paper!" said third-grader Libby Taiber. She and her mom Molly high-fived when I reached out to tell them that, after repeated requests from their family and others, the Pilot is adding comics. For now, we've selected Ritter's River and Tundra. Ritter's River is drawn by Marc Lutz in Wrangell. Lutz works as editor for the Wrangell Sentinel and has been drawing comics for years, starting back in the mid-90s in California with a strip published in the Stockton...
Lust for a supersize Alaska Permanent Fund dividend and giving the government a larger role in dictating personal choices are about as miserable a pair of reasons for rewriting the state constitution as imaginable. Problem is, they are not imagined, they are real. Alaskans will vote in 12 weeks whether they want to convene a constitutional convention to embark on rewriting the state’s founding document. The constitution requires that voters get a chance every 10 years to decide if they want a do-over on the 1950s’ guiding principles of law...
Part of our mission is to make the Five-Finger Lighthouse accessible to the public and to share its historical importance. It’s somewhat like living in a museum. Originally four men were stationed here, so we have four bedrooms in the living quarters. In three of them we have arranged a total of nine dormitory style bunk beds. The fourth room is kept as a private space for the keepers. This is essential because the rest of the Lighthouse, including the living quarters, must be presentable to guests at all times with only a moment’s notice. So...
To the Editor: The Borough position of Director of Fire/EMS/SAR is vacant. The date of when Sandy Dixson, the previous director, would retire was known well in advance. Has our borough administration been active in recruiting candidates to fill this position? Has the vacancy been advertised among emergency responders around Alaska? Have current PVFD volunteers been given serious consideration? Current volunteers have already demonstrated their commitment to handling local emergencies. They know the layout of the town. They know the PVFD...
“How can you describe this to someone?,” my friend asks incredulously, “It’s like trying to describe heaven to us on earth.” It’s early morning and the sky is grey and heavy, washing down into the equally grey but glossy sea, completely obliterating any horizon. The world above and below merges in moisture. The sea is so calm that only a gentle lapping sound is perceptible along the shore line. Otherwise, silence hangs. To my east five humpbacks exhale in quick succession. One rumbles a deep growl ending in a whistle. They ease back down i...
Today is a cool and blustery grey day at The Light. But I am reminded that big blubbery whales don’t mind the cold at all. One such whale is breathing in my ear almost constantly as I write. She is just off our shore between the rock we call “Eagle Island” and our west side. There is a narrow channel there through which the tides stream in and out and no doubt the fish are carried along with them. The seaweed also streams, first this way then that. For a whale, it must be like a feeding shoot and a back scratching post all wrapped into one....
See Something, Say Something To the Editor: To all boaters on the water, whether for commercial or recreation: if you see cruise ship discharge of any kind, please report it to the agency below. Summer 2022, the cruise industry is bigger than ever. They are offering incredible deals for tourists to visit for that once-in-a-lifetime Alaskan adventure, and who can blame them? However, the cruise industry has decades of violations and fines for illegal behavior. It is up to us to be aware and hold them accountable for illegal discharge polluting...
After saying Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was a pariah for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, President Joe Biden traveled to Saudi Arabia to engage with the Arab world. I believe his priorities are out of touch with most Americans. Today, we continue to see escalating oil and gasoline prices and runaway inflation. Yet our president suggests his mission to Saudi Arabia was to contribute “intense diplomacy.” He further pledges to stay aggressive against Russia and out-compete China — yet not one word on the U.S. energy short...
Ferries and politicians don’t blend To the Editor: Buying the two fast ferries was a horrible mistake and has made no common sense; the politicians were determined to have their way. They have shown their arrogance, lack of common sense, incompetence, and are simply impossible to embarrass. The union strike of the Columbia broke the back of the Alaska Marine Highway system and the politicians applauded the union on their success. Going on three years with no Columbia; and the AMHS has no answer other than excuses. One solution would be new m...
